The Secret in the Song, formerly LHaH
by older and ashamed
Summary: Briar and Rosethorn are traveling again. but what happens when they meet Shadiyah, a beautiful and hardworking farmer's daughter and singer-dancer? And who threw that knife at Briar's head? and how does magic tie in? discontinued
1. A Meeting and a Knife

**Disclaimer:**

Don't make me say it. no, No NO! Oh, alright, if I HAVE to…..I OWN ONLY THE PLOT, THE COUNTRY, AND ALL THE WEIRD NEW CHARACTERS. The rest is Tamora Pierce's, and there's a bit of fashion from David Eddings.

Unfortunately I do not own the world…………………..**YET**. (Evil laugh)

_**One**_

**_A Meeting and a Knife_**

_S_

_The music stops. The crowd cheers. I bow. The dance is over. Rasmuti passes around a hat. I stand, panting, and smiling my performance smile. My flimsy, revealing, silk gown flutters in the breeze. I saved my money for a year to buy silk. Silk is expensive. Rasmuti returns with the full hat clinking and gives it to me. I bow again._

_"I thank you all for your generosity." _

"_And you for yours lass!" yells a drunken brute at the front. I smile flirtatiously at him._

_I gather my things and we make our way through the thinning crowd. We are halfway through the horde of panting puppies, when I hear a noise. It is the scrape of metal on the catch of a sheath, and the whistle of air. I look up. A tall green eyed youth is grinning down at me. He looks to be twenty years old. I know where the dagger will land. I push him back as the whistle becomes deafening in my ears. It is there…Now! I snatch the blade from the air, the hilt thudding neatly into my palm. I examine the knife with interest for a second then hand it hilt first to the young man. He blinks, his eyes wide, then carefully takes it from me. We are both cautious not to inflict even a scratch on ourselves, as the dagger may be poisoned. I look to the right. The outraged crowd has overwhelmed the attacker, and are dragging him off to justice. An officer approaches me and the youth, who is still staring at me. It is time to leave. I have no time for court. Time in court is time better spent working._

_---------------------------------_

B

"How was the market?"

"Good. There was an amazing dancer."

Rosethorn, kneeling by a pot of ivy, nods. "Casserian dancers are some of the best in the world. Their skill rivals that of the _yaskedasi_ in Khapik. " She looks slyly at me. "Did you like her costume?"

I blush, remembering her flimsy azure gown that whispered as she moved. "It was…exotic."

She laughs. "So did anything else…_exotic_…happen?"

"Not much. Someone tried to kill me, but that's about it."

"WHAT!" Her eyebrows snap together so hard that I could swear I hear them bang.

"If you keep doing that to your eyebrows you'll bruise them."

"Briar." She replies in a warning tone which quite clearly says 'don't you dare try to be clever with me, OR ELSE!'. I decide not to find out what 'OR ELSE' means. As far as I know _no one _has _ever_ decided to find out what OR ELSE means. I carefully ease the dagger out of my bag, and unwrap the cloth I had put on it to stop the spread of poison.

"Someone threw this at my head this morning. " I tell my teacher, showing her the dagger.

She examines it closely. "This is poisoned." a worried frown creases her mouth and wrinkles her forehead.

"I know. Looks like wolfbane."

She nods. "But…why?" she murmurs. She looks up. Her face grows thoughtful. "I wonder…" she shakes her head "No, that's impossible…….Still…"

"Yes?"

"Nothing." OR ELSE.

But I can tell that it's not nothing. "Rosethorn-" I press, but the look she gives me is yet _another_ of those OR ELSE things. I sigh, but I decide to drop it. I can question her later. There are only so many OR ELSEs I can take in one hour. In one _day, _for that matter.

"So what we doing tomorrow?"

"Evvy's minding the stall while we're at that meeting with the farmers."

"Ok. Well, I guess I'll prune the Shakkans. I won't have time tomorrow."

"Alright." She looks at me, worry in her dark brown eyes. "Be careful Briar. I DON'T want anyone to kill you."

I raise my eyebrows.

"Well, at least without my say-so." She adds briskly, her old self again.

I grin. I'm glad she's threatening me again. I always worry when she doesn't.

------------------------

**_So watcha think? To all youse waiting on my His Dark Materials wotsit, sorry but I don't have a clue what the plot's gonna be, and I ent gonna even TRY to do the story before I figure out what happens later._**

_**Please press the lovely little button wot sez go, and I won't exchange my next chapter for Vogon poetry (the third worst in the universe). **_


	2. A Mage?

**_Disclaimer: still working on that World domination. Anyhoo I'm not selling this so I don't see why anyone should be bothered that the old characters etc belong to Tamora Pierce and the dancing is borrowed from David Edding's Nadraks._**

_**Hey to:**_

_**Sorceress shadowrain: Glad you liked it!**_

**_Zerrin of the wind: Here it is! Next update! Glad you liked it! _**

NativeWildMage: Hey girl! I am very proud of my OR ELSE thing! Glad you liked it (I seem to be saying that a lot!)! By the way, I have volume TWO of the Evil Plots and Tortures books, so there (pokes out tongue)!

_**Tessadragon: She is, ent she! That's what I love about Rosethorn! Here it is, don't hurt me! Lol!**_

**_Okay, just so you know, girls are in the pretty italics, and boys are in the plain. The letter at the top tells you who talking/thinking/listening (_B_ is for Briar, R for Rosethorn etc.)._**

_**Also in some of the names the ch is pronounced at the back of the throat, like when you're trying to clear it (yes Yaely, I am learning Hebrew now!)**_

_**Two**_

"_**A Mage?"**_

_**S**_

_I wake. It is still dark, but there is much to do on the farm, and I am the one to do it. Father tries to tell me to stop, to make my own way in the world, to let him work the farm. As if I'd let him. He is too old, and he has a problem with his heart. Even now I can hear its unsteady beating, as he snores loudly in his rickety old bed next to me. I get up and bundle my blankets in the corner. Father tries to make me sleep in the bed, but I can be very persuasive when I want to be. It is an art to get someone to do what you want them to without much fuss. It is an art I must constantly practise on Father. He cares about me more than is good for him. _

_I swiftly dress, this time in simple working smock and plain cotton skirt, for it is Moonsday, and a day for hard work. I softly leave our tumble down home, and head across to the small old barn in the bottom of our field to do the milking. I take out our skinny, old cow, Violet, set up my milking stool, and pull gently but firmly on her udders. A thin trickle of milk flows into the bucket. I sigh. Violet is drying up. I squeeze what milk I can out of my placid childhood friend, then return her to her stall._

_I put away the milking stool, and pick up our rusty, iron hoe. I go out into the field and pull weeds fiercely from the earth. I hate this work, but it must be done, or we will not eat come winter. I hack viciously at the weeds, as the sky turns from inky black to a deep shade of indigo. I cease my work. I always stop for dawn. It is the most beautiful time of day. Its only rival is the sunset. The horizon slowly becomes a pale shade of violet. The sunrise sings to me. Its song is a dusty melody, a soft concerto, a hundred cellos, and a thousand flutes. Its pale pink is like the sound of a harp, gracefully picking out its notes, while the dusty azure is the sound of a single flute. Its song cascades around me. I never tire of the sunrise. Its beauty is always similar, yet always different. Changing, yet continuous. I love the dawn._

_I stand looking to the East until the sky is its usual pale blue dotted with clouds, then I sigh and return to my work. I daydream as I work. I always do. It is a habit of mine, along with absentmindedly breaking into song. Coupled these two can have _very _embarrassing results. I once started humming a happy jig as I thought about my birthday, which was the next day. Unfortunately I started my tune just as a funeral procession plodded past us. If looks could kill, I'd be a _lot_ deader than the bloke they were burying. _

_My mind wanders. I think about the day I will become a professional singer. Or composer. Or musician.or…_NO! _I sharply reprimand myself. _I have to look after Father! _Still, I know, in my heart of hearts, that one day… _

_I give myself a shake. _Honestly Shadi! That won't happen for a long time yet, so don't depress yourself for no reason! _I return my attention to the weeds, but it is not long before my shifty mind slips away again… _

_I think of that youth in the market. The one with the green eyes. He looked so nice…_

_I give myself another shake. _It's not like you'll ever see him again anyway. He's obviously a tourist. No one _here_ has green eyes. _I sigh, and return to my work. I hear the door slam open, and turn to see my Father march unsteadily out of the house._

"**SHADIYAH ZILLAH MARTICHA!" **_He calls to me, his curly grey beard bristling in exasperation, his bald brow wrinkled in frustration. He stomps carefully towards me. "HOW many times must I tell you to wake me up at dawn! I _ent_ goin' to let you do all the Niva cursed workin' on this 'ere farm!"_

"_Oh yes you will father! You are not fit to work and you know it! If you come out here and start hoeing, and ploughing under that blazing hot sun, you're going to have a heart attack, and then where would I be? I'd have no father!" he looks at me helplessly, wanting to argue but not knowing what to say. His bald forehead wrinkles in frustration as he tries to find some way to counter my attack. His expression changes suddenly. His wise black eyes grow shrewd. _

"_All right Shadi, if ye want to work, I'll go to the farmer's conference at noon." I open my mouth to speak, but he holds up his hand" Don' try to tell me I'm not fit to go, a'cause it was yer idea that you do the farm work, and someone 'as to go see what this commotion's all about." He smirks, thinking he has me caught._

"_I wasn't going to argue, Father. I just wanted to say that you'd better hurry up. It's been five hours since dawn." _

"_WHAT!" he races back inside the shack surprisingly fast for a weathered old man of 50 **(okay, no offence to all youse wot have 50 year old dads and mums, but for THEM it's old, and he's been working all his life)**. He emerges shortly afterward with a clean smock on and the crooked cane he uses to walk long distances. I watch him go, wondering what the conference is about, then I sigh, shake my head, and return to my work. I still have another 180 square meters of ground to deweed. _**Oh joy…**

_-------------------------------------------------------------------_

B

I watch as the small hall slowly fills up with farmers, some old and wizened, others young and fit, some dressed in rich silk finery, others in their best cotton smocks, some tall, some short. All puzzled. Eventually the flow of these brown men of the East slows, and then stops. Rosethorn waits a few moments, then rises to address the crowd.

"Farmers of Girchat," she begins, surveying them with her powerful gaze. They fall quiet at once, hushing each other. So they _do _have sense! "I am dedicate Rosethorn of the Winding Circle Temple in Emelan, and this is my student, Briar Moss. We are plant mages."

She pauses, letting that sink in. The farmers nod to each other, murmering indistinctly. _Now_ they understand. Their reactions are interesting to watch. Some look happy and pompous, while some just shake their heads and sigh, or frown in thought.

Rosethorn continues, "We have come to help you with your crops, those of you who wish it. if you come here we will sign you to our lists, one for my student and one for me, and we will work our way your farms two by two." She raises her eyebrows "Any questions?"

There is silence for a few minutes, then---"'Ow much'll it cost?" asks a bald old farmer with a curly beard. He has said the question which had been on everybody's mind, and everyone looks intently at my teacher.

"We will charge only what can be given. We will help your crops, and then judge our price on what you can afford." There is a general murmmer of assent, and the farmers begin to move toward us. Not surprisingly, most of the farmers head for Rosethorn. The old man who had asked about the price, however comes towards me. He grins cheerfully at me, exposing approximately five teeth.

"Reckon I'll sign up with ye, lad. Don' reckon we'll ever get our farm looked at if'n I don'!"

I grin back at him. "Good choice! I'll probably do your farm today, since you're the first on me list. Just put your name and where your farm is, and then you can go."

He fills in my form, but doesn't leave. "Reckon I'll wait for ye. Me daughter worries 'bout me too much, so mebbe she won't scold s'bad if'n I got company!" He grins broardly at me again, then goes to stand over by the door.

Rosethorn has run out of room on her list. "So sorry gentlemen, but you'll have to sign up with Briar." There is a hint of steel in her voice, and even these burly giants know much better than to argue with her. Silently they file over to me. Rosethoen watches them for a second, an amused smile hovering arund her lips. I sigh. Someday I'll have to get her to teach me that trick.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A WEE BIT LATER**

------------------------------------------------------------------------

B

The friendly old farmer's name is Telleran. He loves farming, cider, his late wife, Marti (the most beautiful, kind, loving, intelligent woman in all the world), and his seventeen year old daughter, Shadiyah (the second most beautiful, kind, loving, intelligent woman in all the world). He hates "dang rabbits wot eat everythin' ", Taxes, winter, and "darn swindlin' merchant middlemen". Now we are chatting about the crops he has.

"We don't grow much. We _can't_, not with the amount of space we've got. We got's a bitta corn. It gets us bread, though I don't know wot ah'd do witout my smart li'l _cha._" He'd named the Casserian word for daughter. They use it in their last names. A girl is named for her mother with _cha_ at the end, and a boy for his father, with the word _choll._ I wonder what the talented dancer's name was. I can't get her out of my head…

Teleran is speaking again. "…and she's dang good at it too. She does singin' an' storytellin' as well, and she's real professional. She kin wrap 'em roun 'er finger." He shake his head, grinning hugely. " She kin also…oh look, ere we is." We have arrived at the farm. In the field a young woman works with her back to us, hoeing. She has brown skin, and her long chestnut hair is in a thick plait which reaches down to her thighs. She is slim, but not skinny, with subtle curves, and an unconscious grace, even when she's weeding.

"WHO'S THAT YOU GOT WITH YOU?" She yells without turning around. I jump. I didn't think she could hear us, we're so far away. As she turns and comes nearer, suddenly see a faint flicker round her ears. _MAGIC!_ Then I notice something even more startling, and choke back a cry of surprise. She has black eyes, long lashes, bushy eyebrows, thick, red lips, an ordinary nose and a roundish face. I know that face. It is her.

She shows no sign that she recognizes me, but her eyes brighten slightly. She knows. Oh help.

"This 'ere be Briar Moss. 'e's a plant mage wot's come to 'elp us wi'th crops."

"A mage?" she asks looking calmly, yet speculatively at me. Oh helphelphelp. What do I do now? _She's pretending she don't know you, so pretend you don't know her. _This seems sensible.

_Why didn't I think of that? _

_I did. _

_Oh yeah…that was me, wasn't it? _

--------------------------------------------

_S_

_He knows who I am. Good. There is something strange about him. A strange music is coming from him that makes me want to itch. It is a tingling, tinkling sort of noise, like a small, silver bell. I have never heard _this_ before._

_------------------------------------------------------_

**_SOMETIME LATER_**

----------------------------------------------

B

I have seen to the crops. We are sitting in their their small hut. Shadiyah has not taken her eyes off me all the while I was working. She is starting to make me nervous. Telleran seems nervous too, but I think it is for a different reason.

"You wanna drink?"

I shake my head. He nods absently. He sighs, and leans forward slightly.

"Oright……...'ow much?"

"Three copper _dirjav_." It is a very small amount, but father and daughter look at each other, troubled. Telleran sighs, nods, stands, and retrieves a rough earthenware vase, with daisies painted on it. The daisies look as though they were painted by a very small hand. He up-ends the vase onto the rough wooden table. Five small copper coins fall out. He sighs again, and slowly pushes three of the coins towards me. Suddenly Shadiyah puts he hand on to of his, stopping him.

She looks at me, her fierce, dark eyes stubborn. "You owe me, mage." I can see silver flicking out as she speaks. _So you have sound magic! _I think excitedly.

She looks at me, startled. _And_ y_ou can hear my **thoughts!**_ I realise, amazed. She is staring at me openly now, her self control thrown out the window. I decide to test her. _If you can hear this, raise your eyebrows, and then I'll scratch my nose. _I think at her.

_No sign……………………………………………………………oh well, maybe I was wro--HA! _Her eyebrows are higher than I've ever seen anyone's go, including Rosethorn and that's no mean feat! _She can hear me!_ I quickly scratch my nose, to show her that she isn't going mad, then push the copper back to Telleran.

"She's right, I do owe her. Here. Free of charge." I look at Shadiyah. Her eyes are wide. "By th'way, if you wants to find me, I'se stayin' at th'_Disporn _in th'city." My grammar always slips when I'm nervous or excited.

She nods. Her father looks at her, startled. Maybe he expected her to argue or something.

"Bye"

"G'bye, lad, an' thankee kindly."

"Goodbye, Mage."

I grin at her, and leave.

------------------------------

_S_

A MAGE! I AM A MAGE!

_I lie on the floor, under my blankets. It is late, but I cannot sleep. My mind is buzzing. Eventually I sigh. There is nothing to be done now. Next market day I will go to see this Briar. The kind young man with the green eyes._

_**So wadaya think? Review or the next chapter will be an exerpt from "Ode To A Small Lump Of Green Putty I Found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning"!**_

_**I'd appreciate it if any of youse wot know the days of the week/months of the year in that universe would tell me.**_

**_I am apologising in advance, because it will probably be a while before I can get the next chappie out coz I'm going to some internet-free islands in Thailand. So by for now from Yazzi!_**


	3. The Dream and the Drunk

**Disclaimer:_ Well, world domination is coming along nicely. The bugs in my compost heap are finally obeying me! Well, I ent selling any of this, so I ent doing no more disclaimers wot say I don't own anything you recognise and I REALLY wanna thank DE for the dancing! His Nadraks sure know how to move!_**

**_I'M BACK! You probably won't get number 5 and onwards updates as frequently as chappie two though, cause I have to rely on internet cafés from now on._**

_**To my Oh-So-Wonderful reviewers:**_

**Nativewildmage_: you know, that was just a spur of the moment thing! I like the way his grammar slips too, but I only decided to put it in at the very last moment! (cringing) Yes, ok. I'll put a cliffie in somewhere! But you're not allowed to kill me when you read it!_**

**Sorceress ShadowRain: _so happy you liked it! It wasn't much of a holiday coz I had to do school! MATH!(evil eye) (big Calvert Math book disintegrates)_**

**Zerrin of the Wind_: I like music, so I just thought "why not?"! Good power to have, innit?_**

**Tessadragon: _(fanning self) Spare my blushes! Thankyou so much!_**

**Eilene: _Yay! Glad you like it, G. Shame about the weather. I told you you were gonna freeze! My advice to you is sit in the oven. But not when it's on. By the way, you know our story-game-thing? Can I use the idea/plot/thing to write an original story? Speak to you on the 7th._**

**_To all of youse wot'r confused, Cassuria is the country, and Girchat is the city._**

**_Well, you all reviewed, so chapter three is not called _"Verse 24 of Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in my Armpit One Midsummer Morning"_. Instead it is called…_**

_**Chapter Three**_

_**The Dream and the Drunk**_

She betrayed me. She left me. She has returned. Now she will pay!

--------------------------------------------------

Their day which is equivalent to Saturday (**_help please!_**)

**Dreaming**

_--------------------------------------------------_

_R_

"No!_" I scream, tears streaming down my face._

_"You must learn to control your power!" he orders sternly_

_"But--"_

_"I'm taking you to Winding Circle Temple." He tells me shortly "We leave in one hour. NO ARGUMENTS!" _

----------------------------------------------

**Not** **Dreaming**

_­­­­­­­­­­­­­----------------------------------------------_

_R_

_I shoot bolt upright in bed. Evvy stirs next to me. _

_"Yes, I like flowers." She mumbles happily into her pillow. Her sleep is obviously not troubled, as mine is._

_I give myself a small shake. _Stop it, Rosey! You're being silly! You'll have to hang **yourself** in the well by your **own** ankles if you keep this up!

_But I can't stop worrying and wondering. The knife……………it was obviously that of an assassin, and wolfsbane is expensive here, unless you know where to find it. But why would anyone go to all that trouble to kill Briar? He's never been here before, so he hasn't had much chance to make enemies. Still, it is _Briar_, so you never know……but even _HE _can't find someone willing to spend over three gold _Sarda_s to kill him in under a week! There's no reason for that…_

_Unless…_

_Unless someone wanted to hurt me through him._

Do you remember what happened **last** time you were here? _Whispers a ghostly voice at the back of my head. I push that voice down to the deepest depths of my mind. It struggles to resurface, but I force it back down again._

_The sun is rising, and I need breakfast. _Don't worry; everything will be fine with a good meal inside you.

_I get up and go to make myself something to eat. Before I dig in, I give thanks, as always. But I find myself praying, not only for the food, but for Briar and Evvy._ Please Mila, keep them safe._ We don't even know why anyone would want to kill them. _

I do. _whispers the voice. _I do.

---------------------------------------------

_S_

_It is a market day. I am hurrying through the jostling crowd of every colour imaginable. There are even some unnaturally pale foreigners from as far north as Namorn._

_The locals' skin ranges from my golden brown to jet black. We have almond shaped eyes, hazel to black in colour, and varicoloured wavy hair. The farmers wear sleeveless cotton smocks, the musicians, actors and other performers various brightly coloured costumes, the townsmen wear short tunics, and the judges, mages and other high ranking men wear thin, sleeveless, silk robes. The women's clothing is much more elaborate. The farmer's wives and daughters wear simple cotton frocks, the dancers wear scanty costumes of gauze and silk which flutter gaily in the wind, the singers and musicians wear ankle length gowns of various designs, and the high ranking ladies wear whatever pleases them._

_I do not look at the market stalls I am striding. As if I could afford any of the overpriced merchandise. _But I will soon….he said I was a mage, and mages are rich! Well, some of them…

_I want to go straight to his visitor house. I want him to show me how to use my magic. But though I may be rich some day I am not now, and today is a singing day. Besides, Siena, Mirja and the others will miss me. I promised them I would see them every weekend, and I do not break my promises. Not if I make them truthfully. And not to children. I will make sure they have a trade other than pick pocketing when they grow up. I will not stop helping them to satisfy my own desires._

_I make my way down the crooked streets of the _meroch_, or lower city, heading for the Gardens of Dreams. They are beautiful, the pride of Girchat. No, of all Cassuria. I am not here to look however. I am heading to the Meadow of Daisies to meet the Urchins. _

_-----------------------------------------------------_

Ten min. later…

-----------------------------------------------------

_S_

_I set my basket down on the soft grass and brightly coloured wildflowers of the well tended meadow and sit down to wait. A sharp, high pitched whistle reaches my ears. I look around. There is no one in sight. I give a low whistle back, and sixteen motley girls and boys of about six to sixteen years old melt out of the trees at the edge of the Wood of Golden Shadows. The little ones run laughing and shouting to meet me, while the older kids follow with more dignity. They gather round me, sitting in among the softly swaying daisies._

"_Hey _disna _Shadi!"_

"_Hey"_

"_Look, I can talk like high folk, like you teached me!"_

"Taught_ me."_

"_I knows a new knife trick!"_

"_You gots to teach me that la'er!"_

"_I kin dance good now! Just like you does at market!"_

"_Bin practisin' Rasmti? Reckon you cud do be'er'n me someday if'n ya practise."_

_I automatically slip into street slang as I struggle to respond to them all at once._

"_Do you gots any food?"_

_I look down at Mirja, the smallest of the group, a pretty chocolate brown nymph with light brown eyes. "Yes, but you gots to read 'me first." I pull a worn old book out of my basket and hand it to her._

"_Ok"_

_She struggles through the familiar words as I help her along. Father made sure I could read at an early age. Our neighbours said it was a waste of time, but Da never cared what the neighbours said. "Ah got betta thins ta do'n worry about wo' a bunch a snooty aud busybodies think o' me!"_

"_That wiz real good! Soon you'll be puttin' them high folks in court out've a job! 'ere…" I rummage in my basket and pull out a roll of bread and some home made butter and jam. I spread the roll, and pass it to Mirja. She bites into it hungrily!_

"_Ok, now Rasmuti and Marchata les' see y'dancin!"_

_The two black skinned fourteen year olds rise and the rest of us start up a beat of three measured claps, then four staccato ones **(yes, I know I copied that, but it's so good I couldn't help it!**). They begin slowly, their feet carefully seeking out the rhythm. By the end of the dance, however, their feet are a flickering blur as they skilfully perform the alluring moves in the tattered rags they wear for clothes. They conclude with an outrageous strut, then collapse, panting. I hand them each bread rolls thick with jam. _

"_Soon's I kin get youse costumes you kin go out on th'streets!"_

"_Where do you think we go now? The trees?" Rasmuti jokes, tearing viciously at the bread with her teeth._

_I am helping Hanipu with his high speech, when I notice a new face in the crowd. A girl of about fifteen._

"'_Oo a' you, then?" I ask the newcomer_

"_This 'ere's _saicha _Evvy." Korau supplies helpfully. I frown. He has addressed her as a mage. "We's friends." He adds shyly. I grin broadly at him, and wink at Evvy, who blushes. He and Evvy are about the same age, and I'm fairly certain that they are a bit more than "friends"._

"_Well Evvy, youse welcome t'join us. I's 'elpin' 'em find a way they kin work when they's older. Wot you like doin'?" _

_But she laughs, and answers, "Don't worry 'bout me!" she grins "Weren't you lisnin' to Korau? I's a stone mage!"_

"_Oh, ok." I turn back to Hanipu, but then I have an idea. "Can you read?"_

"_Yeh."_

"_Then kin you 'elp out some o'the little 'uns?"_

"_Sure."_

_We continue to work until the noon, then I spread a sheet on the grass and we have lunch. I eat little, letting the famished thieves and pickpockets tuck in. I notice that Evvy also eats little. My liking for her goes up several notches._

_When all the food has disappeared into the now full stomachs of my friends I collect the empty plates and start packing up "Alright, now _**I **_gots to work. Ylara and Tiu, you wanna come this time? I's singing today." _

_The two girls nod and help me to pack my basket while the rest of the group fade back into the trees. I catch a glimpse of Evvy and Korau embracing in the shadows, and stifle a grin._

"_Youse need to go further back into the trees if you don't want no one t'see ya!" I call to them. They look around startled, and Evvy laughs. Many girls would have taken offence or sulked. I reckon Korau's onto a good thing with her. _

_----------------------------------------------------------_

After market

About five pm

_----------------------------------------------------------_

_E_

_I kiss Korau goodnight, and saunter home. _Pahan _Briar said there's someone he wants me to meet. Dunno who it could be. I wander up the street, lost in thought. I see Ylara as I cross into the tourist district, and I wave to her. She waves back, and continues on her way. She's a pickpocket, so she's probably working._

_I set off down the dark back alleys. I know a shortcut to our guest house, but it passes through the unfriendly district of town.  
_

_I wonder what Rosethorn was so upset about this morning. She tried not to show it, but there was definently something wro---_

_A huge hand clamps itself over my mouth, and another grabs my wrists, twisting them back._

"_You're a pretty thing then, ent you" a rough voice whispers in my ear._

_-----------------------------------------------------_

After market

About five pm

_----------------------------------------------------_

_S_

_I am finished for the day. _FINALLY

"_Hey Tiu, you know where the Disporn guest house is?"_

"_yeh, 's over in th' tourist district. You'll find it eventually if ya go down th'main road, but there's also a shortcut ya kin take if you turn left down Thieves' Alley, then right at Silverback road."_

"_K, thanks."_

"_No prob. Hey, you gonna come round the park later? Me'n Ylara's gonna trade knife tricks."_

"_Nah, can't. gotta see some _saicholl_ bout something. I'll prolly be out all night."_

"_Ah, well. See ya tomorrer."_

"_See ya."_

_I stride excitedly towards the tourist district, and turn off at Thieves' like Tiu said. Suddenly I hear a muffled scream, and a curse. I run towards the sound, but I am forced to stop after only a few steps. The alley is dark and cool, but the cobblestones are _HOT

"_Stop that!" I order the stones without thinking. To my utter amazement, they flare hot, then cool. I can't stop to wonder though. I hurry on. _

_Suddenly I see them. A drunk has grabbed a young girl and is pulling her further down the dark alley. The girl is putting up a terrific fight, but the drunk is stronger than she and has her arms twisted up behind her. Tiny rocks are shooting out of the walls, peppering the brute, but he is too drunk to notice. A terrible rage builds up inside me, a heat so that intense I feel as though a flame will come shooting out of my mouth. I run towards the monster and his prey, determined to stop him somehow._

"**STOP!**_"_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**_Don't hurt me! I needed a cliffie! Now you have to read chappie four! _**

**_By the way, if anyone wants to see the outfits i'm doing drawings of them and sometime i will put them on the internet, so keep checking my profile to see if i have any up._**

_**Isn't that such a cute little Go button? Did I mention that a huge chocolate cake will appear out of nowhere if you click it? (no I did not)**_

_**REVIEW! OR ELSE…**_


	4. STOP

_**Disclaimer: yes, this is the very last time I will say that I don't own Briar, Evvy, Rosethorn, or the wonderful Nadrak (now Cassurian) dancing.**_

**_Sorry about the wait, but I haven't been able to hook my laptop up to the internet for a while._**

_**On with the story**_

_**CHAPTER FOUR**_

_**STOP**_

_**(The chapter of a cliffie)**_

-------------------------------------------------------------

TO RECAP

-------------------------------------------------------------

_S_

_Suddenly I see them. A drunk has grabbed a young girl and is pulling her further down the dark alley. The girl is putting up a terrific fight, but the drunk is stronger than she and has her arms twisted up behind her. Tiny rocks are shooting out of the walls, peppering the brute, but he is too drunk to notice. A terrible rage builds up inside me, a heat so intense that I feel as though a flame will come shooting out of my mouth. I run towards the monster and his prey, determined to stop him somehow._

"**STOP!**_"_

_--------------------------------------------------------_

Now on with the story

--------------------------------------------------------

_E_

_"_**STOP!**_"_

_Suddenly I can't move. A huge, invisible hand is holding every part of me completely still. I can't even blink, and it is an effort to draw a breath. Behind me the, the, the-thing has also frozen stiff. I hear footsteps run up to us and a pair of long, slim, golden brown hands pry me loose from the disgusting drunk. _

"_Are you OK? Look at me."_

_Suddenly the spell is broken and I can move again. My head moves unbidden until I am looking into the worried face of the _disna_ Shadiyah. She gasps in surprise. "Evvy?"_

"_H-how, how did you d-d-d-do that?" I stammer shakily, still shocked bythe sudden assult. "Hold me st-st-still and make me look at you? Are you a mage? You never said." She looks startled, then realisation dawns on her face._

"_Did I use magic? Really?"_

_I nod._

"_Wow. I didn't even know." She has a look of joyful amazement on her face. Then she blinks twice, and frowns. "Are you ok?" she asks again._

"_I'm fine." I lie._

_Her frown grows deeper. "You're lying. I can hear it in your voice. What's wrong?"_

_I draw in a deep, shuddering breath, ready to lie again, then, quite suddenly, I burst into tears._

_----------------------------------------------------_

_S_

_She draws a deep, shuddering breath and bursts into shocked tears of relief. I put my arms about her and hold her close until her shivering sobs grow gentler, and finally stop. Then I open my arms and look down at her._

_"Now. Where do you live?"_

_"I'm staying at the _Disporn_, just down the road." _

_I nod. "Cummon, I'll take you there." Then I pause, and turn to look at the still frozen drunk. "What do we do with him?"_

_She frowns wrathfully at him. "I'll ask Dedicate Rosethorn when I get home. Leave him here until then."_

_We walk down the street together in silence. I feel that she wants it that way. When we get to the _Disporn _Evvy turns to me and says "Thank you _saicha_ Shadiyah." That shakes me. It is the first time anyone has ever addressed me as a mage. I like it. Saicha_ Shadiyah… _"I'm all right now. I can go up to my room from here." She continues._

_I stubbornly shake my head. "I have to see someone here anyhow. I'll make sure you get to your room alright, and that there's someone there with you, then I'll find who I'm looking for."_

_Evvy frowns, then sighs and nods. She leads the way up the stairs to the top floor, then turns left and knocks on a plain oak door. The door opens. A middle aged woman in a green habit stands with a scowl on her face._

_"Where have you been, Evvy? I thought you were coming home at 5:15!" _

_Evvy looks at me for help. The woman looks at me too._

_"I'm _disna _Shadiyah. I was on my way here to meet someone when I saw a drunk pulling Evvy down an alley."_

_The woman's thin, fragile looking eyebrows snap together forcefully. It seems amazing that they don't break. "What happened?" she asks worriedly. _

_"_**Saicha **_Shadiyah came running in and yelled '_STOP'_ and we froze. Couldn't move. He had my arms twisted up behind me, and he was so drunk he didn't pay attention to what my magic was doing! If _saicha_ Shadiyah hadn't been there-" She swallows hard._

_The woman looks up at me. her eyes are flinty with anger. "And the drunk?" her words sound to me like chips of ice striking a cold metal floor._

_"We couldn't decide what to do with him. Evvy said to leave him there for now."_

_"What should do with him Rosethorn?" Evvy asks the woman._

_"_**I **_will deal with him." _Sooner him than me _I think, watching as this foreboding woman's mouth thins, her eyes narrow, and her eyebrows merge together. _She looks like a volcano about to explode._ "Where did you leave him?" she asks me fiercely._

_"Down Thieves' alley."_

_She nods, and is about to walk off when I stop her. "Excuse me, umm Dedicate Rosethorn?" _

_She turns to me. "Yes."_

_"Do you know which room _saicholl_ Briar is staying in?"_

_Her left eyebrow shoots straight up in a questioning arch. I have never seen anyone so skilled at eyebrow acrobatics! She looks at me for a second more, then stalks, hands on hips, to the doorway and yells "_BRIAR!_"_

_"No!" I exclaim, dumstruck, turning to Evvy in amazement._

_"Yes." She affirms nodding, her eyebrows halfway up her forehead._

_"What is it Rosethorn?" asks _saicholl_ Briar curiously though somewhat nervously, coming to the door. He sees me. His face takes on a look of panic._

_"Would you care to explain this?" asks Rosethorn tartly._

_----------------------------------------------------_

║**:_ MWOO HAHA, MWOO HAHA, HAHA _:║ x 1,000. _This cliffie thing gets easier as you go along, doesn't it?_**

_**Please help me with the days of the week/months of the year in their universe! I am stuck! **_

**_Please oh kind reviewers, give me ideas! I have the general plot worked out but I'd like some help with details!_**

**_Well, as always, REVIEW! _**

**_By the way, if you're stuck with names, there is a really cool site called www. 20000-names .com where you can search for your name, for a name meaning something, or browse international names. Did you know that Lalasa means _LOVE_! And Numair is panther! And Shadiyah is..._**

_**Just a helpful hint for my faithful R&Rers.**_


	5. Explanation and Meditation

**_Disclaimer: I promise there will be no more disclaimers after this. None at all. Not a single one to say that I don't own Briar, Evvy, Rosethorn, their magic or the dancing. I LOVE Nadraks! _**

**_Hi everybody, I was so happy to get all your reviews. Sorry about the chocolate cake thing, but I tell you what, if you review I'll give you a discount on the real thing! Instead of £30 you only have to pay £10! (plus £4,000 package and handling)._**

**_Zerrin of the wind: _**Thanks for the idea, it is a good one, so one will use it! Like 'Chicago'? lol!

**_Nativewildmage: _**hey, M, i will go into Rosey's past, in ?'s P.O.V.! read FUNFUNFUN!

**_Tessadragon: _**Ha, ha, ha! I have gained your approval!

**_Sorceressshadowrain: _**sorry i havn't e-mailed in a while, i've been really busy!

**_Eilene: _**yes, it's Finally here!

**_to _seabiscuit0810 _and_** **Kaysin** _**(i checked to see who had my story on alert), PLEEEAAASE REVIEW THIS TIME, coz i really wanna know wot u think!**_

_**Chapter Five**_

_**Explanation and Meditation**_

-----------------------------------------------------------

To recap

------------------------------------------------------------

_S_

"_Excuse me, umm Dedicate Rosethorn?" _

_She turns to me. "Yes."_

_"Do you know which room _saicholl_ Briar is staying in?"_

_Her left eyebrow shoots straight up in a questioning arch. I have never seen anyone so skilled at eyebrow acrobatics! She looks at me for a second more, then stalks, hands on hips, to the doorway and yells "_BRIAR!_"_

_"No!" I exclaim, dumbstruck, turning to Evvy in amazement._

_"Yes." She affirms nodding, her eyebrows halfway up her forehead._

_"What is it Rosethorn?" asks _saicholl_ Briar curiously though somewhat nervously, coming to the door. He sees me. His face takes on a look of panic._

_"Would you care to explain this?" asks Rosethorn tartly_

_-------------------------------------------------------_

B

"_BRIAR!_"

_What **NOW**!_"What is it Rosethorn?" I ask apprehensively, coming to the door. I peer out into the passageway. I see a familiar face. _HELP! I never got round to telling Rosethorn about Shadiyah, and she **HATES** people being invited without her knowing!_ I fee like banging my head against the wall at my stupidity! _Goodbye Briar in the sun, hello Moss down the local well!_

"Would you care to explain this?"

"Ahh…ummm……Rosethorn, Evvy, this's Shadiyah. Shadiyah be's the daugh'er'v a local farmer, and gots sound magic. _Disna_ Shadiyah, Rosethorn's me teacher, and Evvy's me studen'."

"I see." Says Rosethorn. She looks like a tigress ready to pounce.

I wince. This is _not_ going well. "Oh, and you know that knife wot—oh, um, never mind!" BOTH of my dangerous teacher's thin black eyebrows are arched high on her forehead, and that is NOT a good sign!

"Yes Briar?"

"Well, ummm……uh…………she, um, well…she was the one wot caught it."

"What."

"Well, she, ahh, reached out and caught it 'fore it hit me." Rosethorn look as though she is about to explode! _Help! I'm going to be BLOWN INTO TINY LITTLE BITS! THEY'LL HAVE TO SCOOP ME OUT OF THE WELL WITH A SIEVE! Somebody HEEEEEEELP!_

Shadiyah snorts with laughter. Rosethorn and Evvy turn to look at her. She blushes, "Well, it's just…umm…I-I don't…quite…know…how to explain it...umm…"

_Help me! I don't know what it is I do! I don't even know if this is working!_ Suddenly I hear her voice in my head, just like one of the girls'. It sounds like, well, sounds. Beautiful music and jarring explosions. Every voice in the world is reflected in her mind

"She can hear thoughts, and…project them!" I explain. Now my _own_ eyebrows are raised in amazement. _We should start an eyebrow raiser's club!_ I think wryly. Shadiyah stifles a giggle. I grin at her.

"If you two have quite finished having conversations which the rest of us cannot hear," Rosethorn interrupts, "I would quite like to know why you, Briar, didn't tell me she was coming!"

"I…forgot." Rosethorn opens her mouth, but before she can speak, my wonderful, amazing, talented, perceptive, intelligent student butts in. "Dedicate Rosethorn, can you go do something about that git down the alley? Before he gets away?"

Rosethorn looks at her for a second, nods, then gives me a look which clearly says _I'll deal with you later!_. She turns and marches off down the hall. I resist the urge to run as fast as I can in the other direction the minute she is out of sight partly because I know she would catch me eventually anyhow, and partly because straight out an open window five stories up is not the most preferable place to run. Instead I sigh, and turn to Shadiyah.

"Okay, umm w-why don't you come in?" a flicker of a smile touches her lips, and she nods. I enter the room, and she and Evvy follow me inside. Evvy closes the door behind her, and I colapse into a chair. I look up at Evvy and grin "Thaks, Evvy, you saved me skin!" Evvy grins back, and falls into an armchair.

-----------------------------------

_S_

_The room I enter is small, brown and smells of cats. A fireplace is set into the right hand wall, but the fire is not lit. on the mantelpiece are various items; a polishing cloth, a box of small, light green stones, a heavy, blue bound book and a pair of slightly rusted hedge clippers. To the far side of the fireplace is an open door which leads into the bathroom. Heavy beige curtains frame a large window in the opposite wall, and a low wooden table with four chairs stands next to it. two doors, presumably leading to the bedrooms stand side-by-side in the wall to my left, with a bookshelf in the gap between them. There are only books on two of the shelves, however, as the rest have been filled with many different plants, all positively screaming their happiness. In the centre of the room is a large ornate carpet. A fur-lined basket next to the fireplace, and its feline occupants explain the smell._

------------------------------------

B

"Can I sit down, Mage, or did you want me to stand at the door?" Shadiyah looks wryly down at me.

"Oh, um, yeah, d'you wanna siddown?"

She sits on the hard wooden chair to my left me and looks around. "Nice place. The plants seem to like it."

"Yeah."

**_(A/N: an awkward silence ensues)_**

"Umm…so…le-let's see what you can do." I conclude lamely. She sits up eagerly.

"OK!" Then she frowns "Umm, what should I do?"

I frown too. In actuality I have no idea what to ask her. I am about to come up with another weak answer, when Evvy buts in.

"Say something."

"What?" ask Shadiyah, completely perplxed. "What do you mean? Say what?"

"Say something, like you did in the street. You said 'stop' and we stopped. Do something like that."

Shadiyah frowns thoughtfully, then nods. She looks around, and her dark eyes come to rest on a book sitting on the mantlepiece. She extends one delicate but callused hand. "Come."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_S_

"_Come."_

_Nothing happens. I am crushed. It OUGHT to be flying through the air into my open hand. I try again. "Come!" I repeat a little louder. Nothing. I frown, and look at _saicholl_ Briar. He frowns thoughtfully at me._

"_Say it like you mean it."_

"_Like how?"_

"_Think about exactly what you want it to do, then TELL it to come. MAKE it come."_

_I turn back to the book. I imagine it flying through the air towards me, and landing in my open palm, I imagine the 'whoosh' it will make as it zooms towards me. A curious sensation comes over me, and I can hear a slight humming in my ears. I stretch out my hand._

"_COME!"_

'_WHOOSH' _

'_thump'_

_I stare, thunderstruck, at "Stones of the South-East and their Magical Properties" which is lying motionless in my left palm. Evvy gives a whoop, and claps loudly. _Saicholl _Briar grins at me. _

"_Great!" _

_The humming in my ears is fading away now and normal sounds replace it. I laugh in amazement! _I really did it!

_I look up at the two mages. "Now what?"_

_-----------------------------------------------_

B

Now I see what I gotta do. She has amazing control, but she needs to learn how to concentrate her power without having to shout. _Meditation_.

"Meditation?" she asks. I give an exasperated sigh, and glare at her.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is not to be able even to _think_ privately!" I snap.

She shrugs. "I can block my ears if you like?"

I sigh again. Out of the corner of my eye I see my troublesome, annoying, frustrating, cheeky student trying to smother her laughter. I glare at her, and she laughs even harder.

Muttering bad temperedly about nosey people who hear too much and unruly students who laugh at the slightest thing, I rise and make a circle of power around the clear space in the middle of the room. I motion Shadiyah to step inside, then enter the circle myself and close it. Evvy retrives her book from the table and heads for the "female" bedroom.

"Ok, sit down."

She complies, seating herself tailor style with the unconscious grace of a dancer. I gulp slightly, thirsty you understand, and seat myself on the floor beside her.

"Ok. Now close your eyes. Good. Now I want you to take a deep breath in while counting to seven, hold it while counting to seven, and release it with seven. Ok?" She nods, and does so, smoothly sinking into the calming rhythm of her breath. Now for the difficult bit. "Ok." I speak quietly in her ear. "Now I want you to follow your breath. Follow it out. Travel with it. Flow…"

-----------------------------------------------

_S_

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…_"Now I want you to follow your breath. Follow it out. Travel with it. Flow…" I try to do as he says. I try to follow my breath, to fly up with it, but I can't. I know what he means. It happens to me sometimes when I listen to glorious music. I feel myself flowing through the notes, following their excited procession up and down the delicate scales. I try to do the same with my breath, but it doesn't have the same beauty. I can't feel it like I can the music. I give an exasperated sigh, and open my eyes crossly._

"_Don't worry, _disna _Shadiyah. It'll come to you eventually."_

"_But it already **has**! Not here, but it's happened to me before! Whenever I listen to wonderful music it's a sort of thrill, like I'm soaring with the notes, flowing with them, like you said! I just can't do the same with my breath! It's not--not…magic." I conclude, with frustration._

_He looks closely at me. "You've done it before?" He asks, his voice surprised._

_I nod in the affirmative. "Every time I hear amazing music."_

_He appears thoughtful. He nods slightly to himself, then looks up at me. When he speaks his voice is thoughtful, and just a little secretive. "Alright, well," he glances out the window, where the sun is showing off with a splendorous sunset for the calmly watching crescent moon. "It's getting late so why don't we leave it at that for tonight?"_

_I am a bit surprised, but offer no comment. He obviously has a plan of some sort, but he is carefully avoiding thinking of it. Drat him! Oh well, I suppose he'll tell me sooner or later. I get up to leave, and bump into………nothing! I stick my hand out and feel solid air. I turn. "Ummmm…_saicholl _Briar…"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_The air…"_

_He looks puzzled for a moment, the something clicks. "Oh! Yeah. Right. Um." He scuffs out a circle of herbs in the floor. A tiny tingling bell rings in my ear, but I pay no attention to it. _

"_Is the air, umm…airy…again?"_

"_Yeah, yeah i' is now."_

_I step out of the scuffed circle of herbs, and slowly walk back home. I have a lot to think about._

_---------------------------------------------_

She left. She didn't even tell me. She just left. I came and she was gone. BUT NOW SHE HAS RETURNED, AND SHE WILL PAY FOR LEAVING! LEAVING WITHOUT FAREWELL! I WILL HURT HER AS SHE HURT ME!

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**_AHHHHHH! Whew! Done at LAST! FINNITE! FIN! COMPLETED! ENDED! FINISHED! CONCLUDED! TERMINATED! ACCOMPLISHED! FULFILLED! OVER AND DONE WITH! ENDED! THROUGH! READY! PREPARED! _**

sorry about the wait everyone! Please forgive me! I'm a SLOW writer!

**_Now review or I'll send out my savage rabbit monster thingy. RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY! Lol!_**


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